Tag Archives: Bradley

The Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband has made a new set of policy recommendations to Governor Mark Dayton and the Minnesota legislature. They include:

• Update Minnesota’s statutory broadband speed goal – It is a state goal that no later than 2022 all Minnesota businesses and homes have access to high-speed broadband that provides minimum download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second and minimum upload speeds of at least 3 megabits per second. Also by 2026, it is a state goal that all Minnesota businesses and homes have access to at least one provider of broadband with download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of at least 20 megabits per second.

• Infrastructure grant program – The Task Force recommends appropriating $200 million to the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Programing FY 2016-17. While this figure is a fraction of the total capital investment required to meet the state’s border-to-border broadband objective, it is an important contribution.

• Create an Office of Broadband operating fund to promote broadband adoption and use – The Task Force recommends that the fund be managed by the Office of Broadband Development, at a specific amount to be determined between the Office of Broadband Development and the 47 National Broadband Map, available at http://www.broadbandmap.gov/rank/all/county/minnesota/percentpopulation/demographics-income-median-income/ascending/speed-download-greater-than-25mbps. 48 Provided by Marc Johnson of East Central MN Educational Cable Cooperative (ECMECC). 49 http://mn.gov/deed/images/education-superhighway.pdf, slide 23. 36 legislature, that will allow the Office to advance and support programs and projects aimed at promoting broadband adoption and use.

• Increase telecommunications aid for schools and libraries – The Task Force recommends funding library telecommunications aid at $6.6 million in FY 2016-17, and increasing the telecommunications aid equity for schools to $9.75 million in FY 2016-17. This funding will expand the impact of the program in underserved areas of the state and help ensure every person has access to reliable broadband service.

• Expand existing sales tax exemption for telecommunications equipment –The Task Force recommends the existing sales tax exemption for telecommunications equipment be made permanent to provide certainty to providers and enable thoughtful, future-oriented investment planning. Further, the Task Force believes policy makers should examine the possibility of expanding the exemption to include additional equipment, including fiber, conduit, poles, wires, and cable, that would assist in network development efforts.

• Review existing permitting criteria to see where there might be opportunities for efficiencies – The Task Force recommends an administrative review of existing permitting requirements impacting broadband network deployment to determine where there may be opportunities to ensure the most efficient processes are in place. Uncertainty over permitting timelines and requirements can delay or prevent network deployments from moving forward.